Tui are native birds to New Zealand. They have blue, green, bronze iridescent sheen and distinctive white throat tufts (poi). Tui make a complex variety of songs and calls, much like parrots. They can imitate human speech and were trained by Maori to replicate complex speech.
Winter In July
MJ was born and raised in South Korea. Her birthday in July was always in the middle of summer until she moved to Aotearoa and celebrated her birthday in winter. She studied fine art and design in South Korea and fell in love with New Zealand during a visit. After completing training at Peter Minturn Goldsmith School in Auckland, she now handcrafts each piece of Winter in July jewellery in her Auckland studio, aiming to bring joy to the wearer.